All Thanks To A Frost Beast
by thescientistwrangler
Summary: It had all happened so quick that Darcy had had no time to really react, and she was utterly flabbergasted by the entire thing. What between having the Trickster wandering through her dreams, and dealing with the aftermath of having hundreds of portals opening up throughout London... She would kill for just one day of normalcy. JUST ONE!
1. Prologue

**Title: **All Thanks To A Frost Beast

**Fandom: **Marvel MCU

**Disclaimer: **I owns nothing because Stan Lee is GOD!

**Chapters: **1/**15**

**Ship: **Darcy Lewis/Loki

**Rating: **T for some swearing

**Summary: **"So it was about a week after the whole 'Evil Elrond trying to destroy all the things' incident. We had yet to pack up and head back to good ole US of A. Jane was busy shacking up with Thor, they were having some serious Hammer Time. Hell even I was blushing, yeah… a lot like how you are right now!"

"This whole thing is incredibly stupid. Don't glare at me! This is not my fault… okay maybe just a little bit. Oh come on Agent C, you can't expect me to notice everything! What!? I apologized about the London thing! If Pirate Nick should be pissed at anyone, it's Thor! See I actually tried to get in touch with SHIELD, you guys just suck at answering your phones! If you ask me to keep an eye on Jane, than you'd better answer when I call. Sorry, Sorry… I tend to rant when I'm nervous, and this whole interrogation-room stare-down… not helping."

"Wait, actually I made a huge mistake. What? I'm human! Geez! Okay so, things actually started getting weird for me a short time after the crap that went down in New York."

"Uh… Instead of me defining 'weird' how's about I just tell you? Yeah maybe letting me talk without interruptions is a good thing? Anywho, where was I… oh right! So Jane and I had actually been in the city for a conference involving something about planetary alignment, kinda funny now that I think about. Sorry, so while we weren't directly caught up in ground zero we still dealt with some of the aftershocks. Not getting into the details. Don't bother, I'm not getting into it. End result, I got caught in some sorta weird alien Doctor Who crap. By the way, I so want to know if the Doctor is real…."

"Yeah yeah 'classified'. All I will say is that it was some type of Cheetara weapon, there was a high pitched sound that caused some serious nose bleeds, and I blacked out. Woke up with the paramedics looming over me, really freaky sight… never thought it'd ever be me in that situation. Anywho, so like two weeks later I start having these dreams… Oh stop glowering, not those kinda dreams. God, pervy much? What!? It's true, he thought it not me! Tch, whatever. Sure enough, it's thee very infamous bad guy himself that I visit. And he's just as surprised as I am."

"Really mini-Coulson? C'mon… take a wild guess which bad guy I'm talking about."

"Yeah, Loki. Duh. Anyways, he gets all pissy at first. Thinking I'm some sort of dream demon or something. Then after enough bickering he realizes that I'm clearly one of the lesser human folk. So for the first ten visits or so he tries to piss me off, and generally succeeds until I give him a serious talking to. Eventually he starts to… tolerate me. Sure he tried to just ignore me… but if I'm stuck dreaming about the same person every night, the least he could do is entertain me."

"Dude, get that disapproving look off your face, I didn't mean entertain me like that. Again I point and call you a perv. Any other situation and you'd be meeting my friend Sparky right about now."

"What!? He's the one being uncalled for! Fine, hypocrite. So where- right. So this whole thing lasts a year in length, don't know if time passes the same in Asgard, All I know is eventually he and I become a weird sort of friends. Okay, more like acquaintances, either way it wasn't like Loki was getting a whole bunch of visitors."

"Because he was in some type of prison cell, do you really think that Thor's dad is just gonna let the guy off with a spanking? Tried to dominate an entire race, remember? So Loki and I would banter back and forth. Kay it was largely just us snarking, but he was totally enjoying it. I think he found me interesting, or maybe I just amused him. Either way, it was a positive interaction of sorts. To be honest, I felt bad for him. He… there's something about the guy… "

"Yeah I guess in a way you could call him 'unbalanced' but, it was more along the lines that he was lied to his whole life. He lashed out like a hurt child, and who knows… maybe Asgardians age differently then us. But I don't know if how his dad handled it helped. If anything I'd have sent Loki to therapy instead of locking him away in a jail."

"Okay make it serious therapy, but even you have to agree that prison is too cruel."

"…Maybe you're not the best person to ask that to… With good reason. I do think that he was absolutely insane during the New York incident… not so sure if he still was afterwards. Did any of you stop to think that maybe someone else was manipulating him? Hm? Maybe he was under someone's control just like Loki did to Clint? There's a chance he was just a puppet too."

"How the hell would I know who would control him? I'm still telling you the vibe I got from him while I got to know the god of mischief."

"Anyways. Last time I saw him… someone died."

"No. Not like he killed somebody. More like a person he cared about was murdered. Clearly it wasn't Thor, so I'm guessing mom or girlfriend. Probably mom. He was pissed. Actually that's an understatement, he was a wreck. Loki shut me out after that… which led me to believe that it he had been enjoying my visits. Since he had the ability to close me off from him, he must have been lonely and looking for some sort of company."

"Why didn't I tell anyone? Dude, what the hell could anyone do? It wasn't like he could hurt me."

"Okay, correction. It wasn't like he tried to hurt me in any way, and if he could then why didn't he? Not the point. So, after a long period of no communication with him… Thor shows up and tells us in a off hand way that Loki died. I'm stunned. And… to be completely honest… sad. He was kinda misunderstood and hurting in ways that a lot of people have a hard time understanding fully."

"Now who's the one getting off topic? And yes I do have a weakness for adopting rescue animals. So sue me."

"Geez, who pissed in your coffee? Agent C you really know how to pick your lackeys huh? Wow, I wasn't being serious… God. So fast forward to about a week after the whole 'Evil Elrond trying to destroy all the things' incident. We had yet to pack up and head back to good ole US of A. Jane was busy shacking up with Thor, they were having some serious Hammer Time. Hell even _I_ was blushing, yeah… a lot like how you are right now!"

"So I'd taken to hiding out a quaint cafe not too far from our place. Sure enough I'm just chilling with my latter, when… CRASH! This thing come rampaging down the street, things bigger than the Hulk! Course that's when I realized that we forgot to take care of the alien beast that came through the portal. Obviously I realize just as this thing is charging in my general direction, and all I can think is that there's no way in hell my taser can bring that thing down…"


	2. Chapter 1

**Title: **All Thanks To A Frost Beast

**Fandom: **Marvel MCU

**Disclaimer: **I owns nothing because Stan Lee is GOD!

**Chapters: **2/**15**

**Ship: **Darcy Lewis/Loki

**Rating: **T for some swearing

**Summary: **"So it was about a week after the whole 'Evil Elrond trying to destroy all the things' incident. We had yet to pack up and head back to good ole US of A. Jane was busy shacking up with Thor, they were having some serious Hammer Time. Hell even I was blushing, yeah… a lot like how you are right now!"

It had all happened so quick that Darcy had had no time to really react, and she was utterly flabberghasted by the entire thing. She had thought it was just going to be another regular day. Though the fact really was that her life hadn't been normal since the incident in New Mexico, and there was no way in hell she'd ever change that. Sure it came with it's positives and negatives, but it was better than the boring existence Darcy used to have. Nothing like needing a different scenery to make a girl move to another state, then another country.

The morning before she had had a serious fight with Ian, and that was the end of it. There was only so long that she could put up with the puppy dog personality. Too much sweetness made Darcy feel utterly nauseous. That heroic moment where he'd saved her had been a one time thing. All Ian ever did was ask stupid questions and follow after her like some sort of stray. She needed some adventure and independence. She needed someone that could make her laugh, and feel as if her feet were floating off the ground. Ian didn't do that, and so he found himself out on his ass before he could even compute what was happening.

Darcy had found him to be so disturbingly bland, the realization that the only reason she'd kissed him was due to the adrenaline rush had seriously killed the romance. That was the key point behind her evacuating the apartment that morning. Hearing all the lovey-dovey noises coming from Jane's room had been like a repeating stab to the sensitive part of her heart. She'd had to wave a white flag of surrender and flee the premises for sanity. Which was how Darcy had found herself in the safety of the cafe she'd fallen in love with. Her savior came in the form of a paperback copy of The Portrait of Dorian Gray, a favorite novel she'd had since middle school.

It was a childhood dream to travel the world and go to all sorts of exotic and historic places. Being in England was quite literally a dream come true for her. There was no way in hell that she'd just sit around in the apartment while Jane was having fun acrobatic sex with a Norse god. Ugh… she was only slightly jealous. The slightly was because Thor was more of a big brother figure to her than anything else. Sure he was damn hot, and had an ass that made straight men question their sexuality… but she had seriously friend-zoned the big guy. Now if he had a best friend that was as fabulous maybe she'd consider it.

_"**A girl is allowed to daydream! So sue me for wanting a guy that isn't a flimsy wet noodle. Besides, how much you wanna bet that Thor has fantastic stamina? Hm? Dude should your face being turning that shade of purple? Probably bad for your health. Where was I… oh right."**_

So there Darcy was, enjoying the crisp London morning as she sat there with a dark chocolate latte. The patio of the cafe was relatively abandoned, though there were still pedestrians milling about without any real direction. It brought a small bitter smile to her lips, that was something had annoyed him. He'd never understood the idea of not having a purpose behind each deliberate action. The sheer fact that humans could be so fleeting in their desires had been absurdly frustrating to the dork. Course she'd never call him that to his face… no wait, yeah… she actually had.

That had tore a shocked laugh from her lips, and also earned her an irritated look from several passersby. Whatever, they could go fuck themselves. She wasn't in the mood to appease their stupid sensibilities. Darcy just returned their angry looks, and it got the strangers to shove off real quick. Just as her gaze shifted back to her book, there was a very loud sound that caught her attention. Well actually it was so loud it caught everyone's attention, and the sound alone made her think that Godzilla was invading. Which wasn't all that far off of a thought really.

The beast had come crashing onto the main thoroughfare, and sent crowds screaming in all directions. All she could find herself doing, was stare in utter shock. Once that faded her first thought was, 'Shit! We forgot about that'! How the hell could they have forgotten about a creature the width and height of three fucking double deck buses? Oh shit! The thing was charging her way, and all the other patio occupants went scrambling, knocking tables over. Fact was that there was no way in hell they could fucking outrun that thing! She wasn't even going to bother, not when it was more likely to paint one big target on her back.

As Fluffy the monster beast from North Pole came barreling down towards her, sending cars flying into the front windows of businesses. All Darcy thought was how she hoped they had insurance that covered alien damage. It all passed in the quickness of blur, and her brain barely had enough time to fathom all the events around sounds of terror were shrill and the cacophony of noises drowned out even her own thoughts. The creature swatted a car that had been in its way, sending the thing flying in her direction. Darcy screamed, she closed her eyes hoping it'd be quick. Then someone grabbed her from behind around the waist, and… everything went silent.

The scream died into a stifled squeak, and when she managed to scrape the courage to open her eyes… Darcy discovered that she was no longer at the cafe. What the hell? Before she even bothered to turn around and see who it was, a familiar voice tickled her ear. Her emotions surged so dramatically that it took several long moments for Darcy to even begin to fathom how she felt.

"You really do get yourself into terrible situations don't you?" A gasp of surprise tore from her lips as she pushed away to put distance between herself and him. Darcy stared up at the trickster in utter disbelief. What she couldn't understand was the wave of relief at the discovery that he was actually alive. Wait…. Her eyes narrowed and she gave him a light smack to the chest with her book.

"Not cool! Why haven't you told Thor that you're alive! Dude he is pretty sad about you, keeps beating himself up about it." Darcy gave him a look of utter suspicion, "Which better not be the reason you haven't told him." His gaze held steady with her own, though there was an emotion in his eyes that she could not read. Even so, Darcy could already tell what he would say… because it had practically been his catch phrase whenever they discussed anything serious.

"It's complicated." She threw her hands in air out of exasperation, before crossing her arms to ignore the chill that warned of incoming rain. Why was it that whenever she was in a damned warehouse it always had to fucking rain? Darcy was getting really tired of having to explain to the authorities why she was at a restricted area. British cops were way more irritating than American ones, even if they were more polite at times. Still that didn't change anything. Her frustration hadn't simply faded away.

"Yeah, well clearly I have all the time in the world. So why don't you explain it to me." The look he shot her was not exactly the nicest. If it was possible to throttle him for being such a stubborn ass, she would have. Even when in dream world he'd been a tough nut to crack, but Darcy liked to believe that she'd made some progress with him. A sigh of defeat proved that maybe she wasn't so wrong about it after all.

"Our relationship, my brother and I… it has always been- tense at best. He deserves to be happy, and that means not having the burden of the throne." His words were carefully thought out, though there was still a lingering hesitance to confess any of this to her of all people. Hell, she couldn't even believe that of all people to become friends with… she found the God of Tricks. When they'd first met it had been so very awkward. Well… slapping a complete stranger could do that. Course he had laughed after overcoming the stunned shock.

"**_Yes I know it was stupid! But I was pissed off! Jane and I had heard rumors that he'd killed you Agent C. Even with our differences, I will say that you're a good guy. I'm not okay with anyone hurting people I care about."_**

"**_Oh stop you're going to make me blush!"_**

Darcy watched him with curious eyes, and could sense Lokis unease even with his cocky stance. Every so often those green gems would glance at any of the windows or doors… almost as if anticipating an interruption. Or maybe fearing one? She didn't let that train of thought to continue, instead shaking her head which attracted his attention once more. The royal family seriously needed to sit down and have a deep therapy session. Oh, that reminded her. Almost unconsciously she reached out to gently touch his arm.

"I never got the chance… to say that I'm sorry for what happened to your mother." She knew how it felt to lose someone you loved. Her Grandfather had been the most important person in her life, until he passed from a heart attack when she'd been only nineteen. Even so, Darcy's Gramps had raised her since he'd gotten legally custody from her parents. He'd been her savior from a life that would have been the death of her. So she could understand to a degree, the pain of loss. She added,

"Jane told me that she was a wonderful woman. I wish I could have met her." The last thing she'd anticipated was the small smile that he gave her. There was such heartache held within that one simple gesture and it made Darcy want nothing more than to erase that pain. He'd endured so much, and deserved a break from the torment that was his life. He deserved to have someone show that it was possible to be the purpose behind ones meaning to living. Woah… okay that was way too deep! She'd shut down that train of thought before it left the station.

He didn't have to say a word for her to read the silent thank you that was all over his facial features. Just as quickly as it had been there, the emotion was gone. Shoved behind a wall of cunning and cold planning. Something in her hurt to see those walls return once more. Darcy had thought that they'd gotten past this point… apparently not. He paced as if trying to release the energy that was all built up within him. It made her feel so anxious for some odd reason, something that she did not like.

"You must not tell my brother that you saw me. You must not tell him I am alive." That took her off guard and Darcy was flabberghasted by his request… okay more like a demand. Still. She stared before quickly recovering and rubbing a hand against her temple that was now throbbing with the early signs of a migraine. This was like a bad episode of Doctor Phil, at least no one was pregnant… yet. Ugh.

"That's a hell of a secret to ask me to keep. Is there a particular reason behind it, or this just some vindictive act to punish Thor again?" Oh that struck a nerve alright, maybe something really had changed between those two. Loki took a step towards her, and once upon a time she'd have backed away. But after a year of his attempted intimidation Darcy had learned that not backing down was a great way to earn his respect. He wanted people to back away because it proved some dark belief that he was the monster that he hated.

The atmosphere was dark, and they both stared the other down as if determined to win some silent argument. How long it lasted, she had no idea… but in the end Loki looked away. Holy crap! She'd never actually gotten him to back down! A small part of her did an ecstatic happy dance, the rest was worried beyond belief. Something had to be wrong. Very very wrong. Sure enough his next words confirmed it.

"All I will say… is that I believe that other things may have passed through the portals into this realm. Dark creatures that will cause more harm than good." His voice was serious and cut through any jokes that she would have possibly made. Darcy didn't like the sound of 'Dark Creatures'. Hadn't they just dealt with enough of that shit? Evil Elrond was shut down and the one ring was destroyed metaphorically speaking! Couldn't they get a break just for one damned minute!?

"**_I can already tell that you are gonna harass me about not contacting SHIELD with this information immediately. And all I can do is ask that you listen to the whole story. Everything makes sense in a very very weird way by the end of it."_**

"**_Oh don't give me that look, didn't your mother tell you that an ugly face like that can stick? I'm so very scared, like Agent C would let you lay a hand on me. Right?... C?... Okkaayy, and on that note… back to story time."_**

Darcy watched him with a worried expression, brows drawn together and nibbling nervously on her lower lip. She was fidgeting with a stray lock of her hair, and a chill in the air caused a shiver to run through her. There was a moment when she thought that Loki was going to warm her up, but all it was was a twitch of his fingers.

"Are we safe? Do I need to worry about evil aliens trying to kidnap Jane again? Or is this more of the butt-probing kind of thing?" The look he gave her was positively disturbed, and it quickly melted into 'not wanting to know'. It almost made Darcy want to giggle, nothing was more fun than freaking him out with modern things. Her amusement passed as his eyes went dark, it almost felt as if he was staring out at something in the distance.

"I do not know. I am learning more but whatever it is, is very illusive. Able to keep just outside my reach. So for now I ask that you be vigilant and cautious, not run into anything head first like you are prone to do." That earned him a small glare, but it hardly had any heat to it. Especially when Loki of all people had just asked that she keep herself safe. It was times like this that she refused to believe that there wasn't such a thing as redemption for wayward souls. He had so much potential for good, all Loki needed was a push in the right direction was all.

"I can't make any promises. But all I try my very hardest… so long as you don't fall off the grid again." He gave her a bewildered look of utter confusement. To which she sighed in exasperation before rewording,

"Let me visit you in my dreams. As weird as it sounds to say it aloud. So you can keep me updated with what's going on. So long as nothing gets too dangerous, I won't say anything to Hammer Time. Deal?" She held out her hand in a gesture of mutual agreement. Loki hesitated and eyed her with a sort of wonder in those Emerald gems. Almost as if he couldn't fathom her very existence. It was an expression that she was rather used to seeing on him. After a long dragged out moment, he let his hand grip hers in a firm yet comforting hold.

"Deal." With that he lifted her hand so that his lips could press against the back of it. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, and she couldn't help but look away in girlish embarrassment. Why did he create such a reaction from her? Had it really been that long since she had actually slept with a guy? Was that it? Wait… there'd been Ian, but he had sucked in bed. So maybe that didn't count. Oh crap, she really hoped that he couldn't read minds or anything like that because that would be utterly mortifying.

She ran a hand through her in a nervous manner, watching him through her lashes. Obviously it wasn't all that subtle, and he found it incredibly amusing. The fact that he was still alive filled her with an overwhelming sensation of joy as well as relief. Though his comment earlier led to some question about who was running Asgard. If Loki was being a ruler again, then where was the shitty-father-of-the-year Odin? Hopefully the trickster didn't do anything stupid, last thing she wanted was to be visiting him only through her dreams again. Wait, what? Before she could even begin to run on that train of thought he chuckled and spoke up yet again.

"I shall see you tonight." With that he gave her an amused smile… one that made Darcy feel extremely suspicious. That look always predicted him causing some sort of trouble. Sure enough the bastard vanished, leaving her standing along in the abandoned warehouse. She cursed in three different languages, and Jane would have been pretty impressed. Speaking of which, Darcy pulled out her phone and dialed the older woman. It took a few rings until the astrophysicist managed to answer.

"Woah, I'm fine Jane. What? Really? No I wasn't there. Decided to take a walk instead. Uh huh. Actually… I got myself pretty lost and I don't know where I am. Think you could pick me up? Aw, thanks you're an absolute pal! See you soon." After hanging up she watched as the tracking device was activated on her phone. It was something that she'd demanded that they all get just to be safe while in another country. She sat down on an old filing cabinet, and rested her head back against the concrete wall. Yet another fine mess she'd gotten herself into… fucking shit. She didn't even know how to begin dealing with crap of this extreme proportion…. Not. .


	3. Chapter 2

**Title: **All Thanks To A Frost Beast

**Fandom: **Marvel MCU

**Disclaimer: **I owns nothing because Stan Lee is GOD!

**Chapters: **3/**15**

**Ship: **Darcy Lewis/Loki

**Rating: **T for some swearing

**Summary: **"So it was about a week after the whole 'Evil Elrond trying to destroy all the things' incident. We had yet to pack up and head back to good ole US of A. Jane was busy shacking up with Thor, they were having some serious Hammer Time. Hell even I was blushing, yeah… a lot like how you are right now!"

**"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster." - James Baldwin (1955)**

**_"Hey can a girl get some coffee at least? Here I am practically telling you my life story, least you can do is give me a drink. Not even asking for alcohol... and I should be. What? Don't give me that look, you'd feel the same way if you were in my seat! Thanks for the coffee Agent C. Back to the story."_**

Darcy had gotten so fed up with Jane demanding answers that she couldn't GIVE even if she wanted to. The guy had asked for one single favor, and that was to keep his existence a secret. So long as there wasn't any signs of an impending invasion, that was precisely what Darcy intended to do, keep her mouth shut. Last thing she needed was SHIELD swarming in and ruining a good thing.

**_"Yeah that was deliberately aimed at you. Very mature, did your mother teach you that language? Hm?"_**

The car ride was silent except for her friend going on and on about how worried she'd been. How Thor had gone rushing off to save the day because of a monster attack, and it turned out that it had been where she usually hung out. It was really sweet of the other women to worry like that, but Darcy also found it to be extremely annoying. She didn't need a mother hen to chase after her, if anything that was her own job! Half the time Jane couldn't remember where her own head is!

"I told you, I'm fine. I just went for a walk to think things out." That earned her a sympathetic look... oh fuck. She knew exactly where Jane was going to take this, and before Darcy could cut her short the woman asked in a caring tone of voice,

"This is about Ian isn't it?" Damn it all to hell. Darcy knew that she just wouldn't leave it alone! She'd dated the guy for all of one week, they knew each other for maybe two. She'd found him at the fucking cafe, he'd been applying for a job and she'd thought he was hot! Turned out that he was also incredibly annoying, and he snored. She couldn't stand people that snored, they were the very bane of her existence!

"Oh my god, really Jane?! I wasn't in love with him! I slept with him ONCE! I'm not heartbroken, believe me, I'd be raging something fierce if I was!" The look that earned her was one that silently pointed out that that was precisely what she was doing right there. Darcy threw her hands up in exasperated forfeit before ignoring Jane altogether so she could watch the view passing by. She had a lot on her mind, and dealing with Jane's fixation on Darcy being 'in denial' was not one of them.

How was Loki alive? Hammer Time was so certain that he'd seen his brother die. If anyone could tell the difference between a flesh wound versus a fatal one, she'd imagine it would be Thor. At least that's what made the most sense to her. Not that any of it answered her question. Also... why did he save her? Loki could easily have let her die, so what was his purpose behind the rescue? Did he have ulterior motives? Maybe he actually came to like her during their year of forced involvement, for lack of a better description.

A sardonic laugh escaped her, and it earned Darcy a look of worry from Jane. She gave some lame excuse about remembering a joke she'd read. Thankfully the other woman let it drop and left well enough alone. There was no way that thee God of Mischief had come to care for her. Like hell! Still a small voice in her head asked quietly 'why not'? There were more reasons than she cared to count, if anything he was barely able to tolerate her presence. So, why did Loki save her?

There was a bit of traffic near the apartment, largely thanks to the Frost monster destroying half the streets. Thor certainly hadn't helped with the situation by practically brawling with said creature! She could hear Jane muttering angrily under her breath, oh the big guy was gonna be in for it when he got home. Darcy paused in bewilderment, when had that dingy little flat become 'home'? Oh hell, she was feeling that familiar itch under her skin. The thought of calling a place 'home' was something she really wasn't used to. Ever since her Gramps died... she hadn't really bothered to settle anywhere at all.

She could probably thank her parents for that... a flash of movement in the corner of her eye caught Darcy's attention. Among the crowd of pedestrians there was something, it- it was like a thick black shadow. Except the thing had entirely blood red eyes, and it's gaze locked on /her/. Then Darcy could have sworn that it gave her a menacing smile before grabbing an elderly man by the back of his neck. Darcy cried out as the man's eye went wide and he crumpled to the sidewalk. Thankfully the traffic was so bad that they were at a stop, because she leapt out before Jane could stop her.

By the time she reached the man, he was letting out a low groan while struggling to get back to his feet. A short distance away the same thing happened to a little girl no older than 6 years of age. Darcy followed the trail until it went cold. Something was happening she just knew it... it hadn't just been her wild imagination. She could feel it like a chill settling deep into her very gut. Those eyes had stared straight at her... as if it knew who she was. Shit, maybe it wasn't such a smart move getting out of the car. Darcy heard the familiar call of her name, and as she turned to tell Jane it was nothing... she felt it.

**_"Really... you're going to interrupt now? Dude you suck at picking up story-telling cues. You want details, seriously? ... I was maybe four blocks away from the car. It was in a small alleyway. By 'trail' I meant people getting dropped by the thing. That better?"_**

**_"Geez talk about nitpicking..."_**

The sensation was as if something with needles for teeth had decided to chomp down on the back of her neck. She cried out at the agonizing sharp pain, but as quickly as it had happened, it was gone leaving a sudden wave of utter exhaustion. She felt her knees buckle from underneath her, and thankfully Jane was there to catch her. The older woman looked rather worried now, and as Darcy tried to reassure her... everything went black. When she came too, they were back 'home' with a frantic Jane and Thor trying to calm her. Eric was sitting across from the sofa she was lying on, watching her silently.

"Oh she's awake! Jane! She's up!" Instantly all that commotion was locked on Darcy, and boy did it start one hell of a headache. Thor was telling the astrophysicist that clearly everything was fine. Jane was yelling at Darcy for scaring her like that, and 'what was she thinking'! Eric thankfully kept quiet. He just watched while drinking her coffee with a small amused smile. Coffee actually sounded fantastic, she could use a pick me up. Especially with the way her entire body felt a constant sinking lethargy.

As she went to sit up, the room started to blur and swim. Darcy returned to a horizontal position on the couch, she pressed the hell of her palms against her eyes. The feeling of a warm hand against her forehead made Darcy jump in surprise, only to discover it was Jane. She just watched in confusion before the other woman finally stated that Darcy had a fever. The fuck!? She'd been fine only a few hours earlier! How the hell did she get sick that qui- ...wait.

"Jane, can you check my neck for me?" The other woman gave her a bewildered look. Thankfully she didn't question it, letting Darcy lift her head enough to allow Jane to get a look. She felt her hair being lifted aside, then heard the gasp of shock. Oh fucking hell. Something had happened.

"You have a bruise covering the majority of your neck. It's a really bad color, how long have you had this?" Darcy told her what had happened, leaving out the Loki bits. From their expressions she could tell they were hardly surprised, but still extremely displeased. With good reason, they'd hoped to get a longer break from all things alien. Exception being Thor of course. There was a long drawn out period of silence that hovered in the room.

No one knew what to say, let alone what to do. Well there was one person... Except he wasn't really an option, given that he had her promise not to tell. Which left her at one hell of a stalemate. Darcy figured the next best thing was to hit the hay, and pray that Tricksters R' Us was open for business. Except when she mentioned taking a nap, Jane started worrying about how dangerous that was. How they didn't know if Darcy had a concussion, or even what that 'thing' did to her.

Darcy just rolled her eyes before asking the big guy for a lift to her room. She could barely handle sitting up, the thought of having to walk to her room... actually made her nauseous. Bless his Asgardian soul for not bowing to Jane's panic, because Darcy sure as hell would have! She was pretty impressed that he carried her as if she weighed next to nothing. Once he'd gotten her to the bed, and she'd tucked herself in... Thor gave her hair a quick ruffle and told her everything would be fine.

Well if a girl couldn't believe in that, then what could she? It was almost worrisome how easily she slipped into slumber once her head hit the pillow. Darcy was so exhausted that she hadn't even noticed the shadow that lingered upon the back of her door. She was so used to visiting him while he'd been in that boring jail cell. Seeing his new room well, she'd been blown away. Except before she had the chance to even utter a single word, the scenery changed like a person turning the page of a book.

Everything was familiar, down to the blood stains on her pillow case. Fuck. She hadn't dreamt of this in many years... why now? There was a sudden crash from upstairs, she could hear her mother crying pathetically. He was was cursing her out, blaming her for everything wrong in his life. Darcy could taste the panic and fear with in her... she didn't want to be here. Instincts drove her actions, and even if she physically was 25... it was like being five all over again. The closet... she needed to get to the closet. She couldn't hear her mother anymore, which meant he was coming for her next.

Darcy curled up against the back of her closet, engulfed in complete darkness. Her breathing was rapid, and she could feel her heart pounding like a jack rabbit. The stairs always creaked loudly when he came down them, as if to make her terror even worse. It was like she was small, fragile, and defenseless all over again. More frightened of her own father than the idea of a boogeyman. She heard her door squeak as it opened, the damned thing always needed oiling... made it sound like something out of a B-Rated horror movie. The tears streaked her cheeks, as she knew what was coming. Knew how this story had to end. Just as he threw open the closet door, her hands rose to protect her face. A terrified sob escaped her lips, oh god why this of all things!?

Except the hands didn't tear her out with brutal force, instead they pulled Darcy gently into a protective embrace. The darkness melted away like the sunrise chasing off the last remnants of night, and for an instant she thought she saw those glowing red eyes glare hatefully back. She clung desperately as the tears continued to fall. She couldn't go back there, she couldn't. Not again. Without realizing it, she murmured that plea in complete and utter desperation.

"You are safe. I swear it. That creature will not touch you here." He'd saved her... of all people, Loki had come to her rescue like some sort of Prince Charming. Darcy couldn't find the strength to pull away from him just yet, unable to raise up a facade of indifference towards what she'd encountered. There was something... comforting about being held safe in his arms, of all places. She could honestly believe that no harm could ever come to her. Not so long as the badass Trickster was by her side. Still she couldn't fathom how comforting he was being, though behind his words there lingered an anger that even she could feel.

"Darcy you are safe." Was all he said softly into her hair, as a means to try and sooth. And it was certainly working, easing away the terror as if it hadn't happened at all. Her hands refused to relinquish their hold upon his tunic. Thankfully Loki seemed to be understanding of her need, and was willing to give her however much time she required. Content to let her cling with a pathetically mortal desperation, and fight how the nightmares of childhood. She didn't like to discuss her past, and as far as Darcy was concerned... she didn't have a childhood prior to nine years old. There was nothing before Grandpa Art had saved her from that hellhole.

What point was there to bring up that her father was an alcoholic that was a blacklisted professional boxer? That her mother was a manipulative carpet of a woman that died of lung cancer? She wasn't her parents. At least that was what she tried to tell herself every morning that she woke up. Her Gramps used to say that she was the only good thing to come out of two rotten to the core individuals. Things just weren't the same without him around, but she wanted to think that he'd be proud of her... It was what kept her determined to face things head on.

**_"Are you gonna muzzle him, or am I gonna have to? Because I totally will. My personal life is my own... if it gets brought up due to the story then fine. But don't assume I'm telling you jack diddly shit outside of that. Got it?"_**

**_"The dreams issue is a whole different story Agent C. If you want details about that then you'll have to have me come back at a later date to fill you in on those. But only after I get permission to do so."_**

The passage of time was always odd in the realm of dreams. What felt like hours could in fact, only be a few mere minutes in reality. Darcy didn't know just how long she'd remained held in Loki's arms... but once her waterworks came to a halt, she put a bit of physical distance between the two of them. Something crossed his features that she couldn't quite read as of just yet. But what she could tell was that it wasn't all that pleased. Perhaps he'd been reluctant to part... yeah not going to follow that trail of thought. Nope... no way in hell.

She cleared her throat with a blush lightening up her pale cheeks, unable to meet his eyes out of embarrassment. Sure they'd discussed all sorts of personal things during their time together... but they'd avoided family as much as possible. Darcy didn't know how much he had actually seen, and she prayed to god that it wasn't all that much. Not that that was all that likely. Hopefully he wouldn't see her as less of a human being for it. He had a nasty habit of being annoyed when humans wouldn't stand up against their enemies. The trickster was an interesting person like that. One hell of an enigma.

Darcy finally chanced a flickering glance up at him, and Loki was watching her with such an intense gaze that it made the breath die in her lungs. She noticed that he wasn't in the armor that she'd seen earlier on that day. Now it was more of what he'd been in when they first met one another. A simple dark green tunic style top, and what almost resembled black yoga pants. Something about the Asgardian casual style made her find him all the more attractive, it lessened the danger but increased the sexual appeal. Made him look like a lazy cat stalking a bird with its eyes.. wait did he just smirk? Oh hell... she hoped he couldn't read her mind. What followed made Darcy let out a mortified squeak.

"I need not read your mind, when you're already speaking it aloud." Fucking fuck. She needed to get that under control, hiding her face in utter embarrassment. The bastard chuckled, and the only positive was that it wasn't condescending in nature. Otherwise she'd have been so tempted to chuck things at him just to hide her sheer mortification. Stupid mind to mouth filter failing abysmally! Something she'd apparently inherited from her Grandmother... another member of her family that wielded the terrible curse. He just seemed to find it incredibly amusing, and she was extremely tempted to throw something at him in retaliation.

Unable to find it within herself to truly rage at him, she exhaled a shaky little sigh. Loki watched her with an air of caution, as if worried that the wrong word would trigger another melt down. This was why she hated people finding out, they had a nasty habit of busting out the kiddy gloves. Yeah she suffered a shitty childhood but that didn't define who she was at her core. Cocking her chin upwards in a confident manner, she refused to back down.

"I'm fine! It was just a nightmare alright. Don't make it out to be more than what it was." Her words didn't seem to appease him, and instead he began to pace... what appeared to be his quarters. Each movement was smooth and agile, even as his muscles were strung tight as a violin string. The confidence she had been feeding off of diminished like the falling tide. If there was anyone that could understand her feelings... it would likely be him, but she didn't want to open this closet full of skeletons. Not now. Not yet. Not if she had a damned choice.

The silence was aggravating, it wore on her already frayed nerves. His gaze was distant, almost as if he didn't even know she was standing in the room with him. Darcy simply watched the way he prowled about the room, admiring his motions in a very womanly manner. Which left her unprepared for his attention to suddenly lock back on her once more. She stumbled back a step as he closed the distance so swiftly that she let out a small squawk of indignation. Then he lifted her hair in an unceremonious action, only to let out a sharp hiss at what he saw.

When she got a good glance at the rage that burned upon his face, it made her take a further step back in instinctive fear. Loki hadn't seemed to notice, already lost in the stack of tomes that seemed to engulf what appeared to be a massive yet elaborate desk. The fuck? Was he going to explain what that was all about? All she could do, was take a seat upon the edge of his ginormous bed. Seriously, the guy could host an orgy and still have room left over for extra on that bed!

**_"WHAT!? It's the truth! Damned was it super soft too! Note to self, demand one for me. You know you want one too, you're just jealous that you don't have the connections. Who knows, maybe I'll even hook Coulson- sorry, Agent C up with an Asgardian mattress. At least he deserves one."_**

The second his fixation on old literature shifted back onto her... he realized where she was perched. And fuck if he's eyes didn't get all smoldering for flickering instant. It made her mouth fall open in complete shock, because clearly she was just seeing things. Right? Right?! Right. So Loki managed to rein in his masculine tendencies, and bring over something to show her. It was an illustration from a book that looked like it was worth more than her own damned existence altogether. The image was one that she'd seen before, her eyes widened in disbelief before meeting with his green gems. His expression then became rather grim, and she just knew that it would not be leading to good news.

"It is worse than I feared. I'd had my suspicions, but never would have guessed that such a creature would have passed through. I can only pray that it was only one and not a pair. As they usually are inseparable from their mate. " Well that didn't make her feel any better! The look she gave the Trickster said as much, and at least he had the dignity to look apologetic. He then continued on to describe more about the creature.

"The traditional name is a Mar or Mara depending on if it is male or female. I believe it is origin behind the word 'night-mare'. They are in the same family as what you would call 'vampires'. Except these things feed on fear and nightmares. They're very particular, and only look for individuals that have enough ghosts that they can use to fuel their feedings. Since they don't just devour their meals all in one sitting, it is necessary to have enough material to work with." She gave him an extremely unamused glower, her hands rubbing anxiously at her upper arms. For some reason Darcy could almost feel a chill traveling along her sensitive flesh. Typically she wasn't able to feel anything at all... so this probably wasn't a good sign.

He reached out and placed a hand gently against the side of her neck, the tip of his middle finger brushing the bottom of her ear. Though his eyes betrayed his worry for her well-being, Loki acted as if he was being forced to care about what happened to her. He leaned down so his forehead all but rested against her own, and it sent a different sort of shiver down along her skin. Then a warmth spread from the tip of her toes up to Darcy's head, and she let out a rather loud moan of relief.

His eyes were fixed upon her face and it made Darcy feel as if she was under a microscope. There was just something magnetic to the bastard, and it made her consider the possibility that she was bipolar. Because that was the only possible explanation of how she wanted to punch him, and yet also wanted to kiss the breath out of him. God her brain was one hell of a messed up place. She chuckled and Loki was momentarily confused but he clearly brushed it aside as a silly Midgardian thing. When he pulled away physically, something inside her wanted to reach out and cling to him. Not let the Trickster walk away from her again. Woah girl! Get a grip on those hormones!

"I have healed the infection that you received from the bite. It should take care of the fever as well as the bruising. Though I cannot keep the demon from feeding off of your fear." He paused to look back over at her, and in those eyes was worry. That certainly didn't comfort her into thinking this was going to end well. She shifted anxiously,swinging her feet off the side of the bed, before flopping backwards to stare up at the ceiling with a tired gaze. This was just getting worse and fucking worse. At least the pain and exhaustion was gone… but she couldn't handle another one of those damned nightmares. Just couldn't do it.

As if he'd read her mind, Loki came to perch beside her upon the bed that was made for gods. No pun intended because the damned thing literally was made for gods. It was just impossible to get something like that at a Sit and Sleep. His hand came to intertwine with her own, and it sent of jolt of shock straight through her. He wasn't one for casual touches… not once had he ever deliberately reached out to touch. Sure this was intended as a gesture of comfort, but still. Darcy gave him a quick squeeze and a small tremulous smile. Trying to silently to him that she would be fine.

Even if that was a blatant lie, no way she'd come out of this unscathed. Look at Eric… look at Jane… they both were still mentally messed up after being mind-fucked by an alien species. Foster put up a great front but she was antsy, constantly wound tight as if frightened something could terribly wrong again. As if she'd turn a corner and that Evil Elrond guy would be there ready to kill her. Eric… well she hadn't really fully forgiven Loki for what had happened to Eric. The dude was the closest thing to family that she had, hell they were all four of them like one weird was the crazy uncle, Thor the awesome but dorky big bro, and Jane was the reliable, intelligent, yet edgy big sister. She wouldn't change it for the world.

He rested his free hand upon her forehead, as he gazed down upon Darcy with a gentle expression that reached into his eyes as well. She wanted to memorize how that looked, so that she'd never ever forget it. Loki gave a warm smile, and it stole the breath from her even as sleep started to pull her under its warm embrace.

"Rest now. I will keep you safe. Sleep, my incorrigible human." With that she slid into rest, with a content ease. Giving the God of Mischief more trust than she'd given anyone since being all of nine years last word to tumble from her lips was his name… and there was no way in hell he'd ever let her live that down. That cocky, perfect, bastard.


End file.
